The need for efficient and effective control of access into and out of secured areas spans various industries and purposes. For example, gated residential communities need access control systems to regulate the safe entrance and exit of vehicles and persons to and from the residential communities. Commercial sites also need access control systems to regulate the entrance and exit of employees, visitors, delivery persons, shipping trucks, and other entities to and from the sites.
Conventional access control systems and methods have existed in various forms. A manual system may consist of an on-site security station staffed by a human attendant. Vehicles seeking to enter or exit a secured area are stopped at the point of entry or exit and manually screened by the attendant. Conventional access control systems also include automated systems. An automated system may consist of a kiosk or like device positioned at or nearby a security barrier. If an input from a vehicle is accepted by the kiosk, it is programmed to automatically deactivate the security barrier, thus permitting the vehicle to proceed into or out of the secured area. Manual systems provide for a large amount of flexibility in controlling entrance and exit of persons and vehicles, due to the human attendant's ability to make decisions and resolve abnormal or unexpected situations. Manual systems are also less susceptible to fraud and deception, as humans are generally more difficult to trick or circumvent than a programmed computer. Manual systems, however, may be prone to human error on the part of the human attendant. They are also generally more expensive, as the human attendants are typically paid wages for their work. Sites with a high volume of vehicles entering and exiting often require multiple human attendants. On the other hand, automated systems can be less expensive than manual systems due to the reduced need for paid human attendants. Automated systems are not as prone to human error, but they may suffer from mechanical malfunctions. Automated systems are also more prone to fraud and deception. For example, access cards may be duplicated and used by unauthorized persons.
In certain industries, such as the manufacturing, distribution, and warehousing industries, a site often experiences a large volume of persons and vehicles entering and exiting the site on a daily basis. A substantial amount of the vehicular traffic consists of trucks entering a secured area within the site to deliver or pick up shipments of goods as well as trucks exiting the secured area after they have delivered or picked up goods. It is desirable for owners of such sites to oversee and track their inventories of goods as well as the vehicles that are permitted to enter and exit the secured areas. These sites have a heightened need for security not only inside the secured areas, but also for vehicles and goods and persons inside the vehicles traveling in and out of the secured areas. Owners of sites that house valuable things or sensitive information may wish to be selective about which persons or vehicles are allowed to enter, and may wish to carefully control all entry and exit from the site. For example, rules recently promulgated by the Transportation Security Administration have required operators of any site holding air cargo to obtain facial and photo identification of all persons entering the site. It is thus desirable for security information to be checked and collected in an effective manner through the access control process.
Owners of manufacturing, distribution, or warehousing sites may also desire to maintain careful oversight over commercial vehicles and their drivers while the vehicles are inside a secured location of the site. The various drivers of commercial vehicles are often employed by different companies. At some sites, a single vehicle may enter and exit a secured area multiple times in one day. Trucks sometimes deliver cargo in one trailer upon entry, and pick up cargo in a different trailer before exiting. It is desirable for the owner of such a site to effectively track the cargo being unloaded from vehicles inside the secured area and the cargo loaded onto vehicles for shipment out of the site, and ensure that departing drivers are in possession of the correct vehicles and carrying the correct cargo. It is desirable for the site owner to regulate when vehicles that have been loaded with cargo (or that have had their cargo unloaded) are permitted to leave, and should leave, secured areas, especially for the commercial drivers who are not employed by the site owner and have no other affiliation with the site. An operator's inadequate control over a timely exit procedure may allow vehicles to linger in a secured area longer than necessary, resulting in increased chances for theft, unauthorized behavior, or mistake. Therefore, it is desirable for a site owner to ensure that vehicles minimize their time inside secured areas only to the necessary duration, for greater safety and security.
The present invention addresses the identified needs and deficiencies in the prior art by providing systems and methods for remotely controlling access of vehicles into and out of secured areas. Such systems and methods may include some automation but still allow for manual control and oversight by humans. In doing so, control of a vehicle into and out of a secured area can be efficiently maintained while increasing security of vehicles, drivers, and cargo inside and outside of the secured area.